Fifty Shades of Reality: Romantic Fiction Raises Awareness of 'Silent Epidemic' Faced by Many Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans

RICHMOND, Va., April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- In the wake of the phenomenally successful Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, one author hopes that the erotic romance genre's newly-expanded popularity can be used to raise awareness of Traumatic Brain Injury or 'TBI', an invisible but life-changing injury that is estimated to affect at least 19% of American veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.

Erotic romance author Ranae Rose's newly-released novel Rough Around the Edges tells the love story of a wounded war veteran and an amateur female MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter exclusively from the viewpoint of Ryan, the book's twenty-six year old US Marine Corps veteran hero. It's a follow-up book to Battered Not Broken, the heroine's side of the story, which was published in December 2012 and has since sold thousands of copies and maintains a steady status as an Amazon best-seller in military romance and sports fiction. "As a Marine Wife whose husband suffers from […] a TBI and PTSD, I was very impressed with the book," wrote Jeannie Platt, the proud wife of a US Marine, after reading Battered Not Broken.

The author of over a dozen published erotic romances, including multiple Amazon best-sellers, is the daughter of a US Marine and describes Rough Around the Edges as "raw, real romance" and wrote it and Battered Not Broken with the input of a family member who served a tour of duty in Iraq.

Rose believes that in addition to entertaining romance readers, Rough Around the Edges and Battered Not Broken should help increase awareness of issues facing veterans returning from war, especially TBI, which is known as the signature wound of the Iraq War. One RAND Corporation study conducted in 2008 suggests that 19% of American veterans returning from war in the Middle East may suffer from a TBI. Despite the prevalence and seriousness of the issue, the problem isn't widely understood among the public, even after the recent ten year anniversary of the Iraq War. Popular fiction may just help to change that – or so Rose hopes.

"Even as someone with many family members who have served or are currently serving in the military, I knew little about TBI before I started researching it for my writing," says Rose. "The more I learned about it, the more surprised I was at the general lack of awareness surrounding what is clearly a common and serious issue facing many of our military men and women. I hope my two latest books will help increase awareness among readers."

Because TBI affects the brain and cannot be seen like a broken limb, physical scars or many other injuries, it is sometimes called a 'silent epidemic'. Still, even a mild TBI can have serious long-term effects, such as chronic headaches, fatigue, memory and concentration issues.

Like many real-life vets, Rose's war veteran hero suffers both visible and invisible injuries inflicted by an IED explosion. "I write romantic fiction," she says, "my goal is always to entertain my readers and provide a satisfying romantic escape. Still, I feel that it's possible to do so while also including realistic characters and real-life issues."

Rose is originally from Maryland, the same state in which Rough Around the Edges and Battered Not Broken are set. She still resides on the US East Coast where she supports her family by writing romance full-time.

More information on Rose and her military romances can be found at: www.ranaerose.com